Lasting machine



June 19, 1934.

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June 19, 1934.

R. H. LAWSON V LASTING MACHINE I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25,- 1932 B um June 19,-" 1934.

R. H. LAWSON 1,963,170

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' LASTING MACHINE Filed Mm 25, 1952 15 Sheets-Sheet? Fig.7

June 19, 1934. R H, L WSON 1,963,170

LAST'ING MACHINE Filed March -25, 1932 l5-'Sheets-Sheet 8 June 19, 1934.

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15 Sheets-Sheet; 9

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J 1 4- R. H. LAWSON LASTING MACHINE Filed March 25, i952 15 Sheets-Sheet l2 June 19, 1934. R. H. LAWSON LAS'I'ING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1932 '15 Sheets-Sheet 13 June 19, 1934. LAWSQN 1,963,170

LASTING MACHINE F iled March 25, 1932 15 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 O Q) 730 28 I I l June 19, 1934.

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Patented June 19, 1934 osrrso stares e ress de ree LASTING MAomNs Application-March 25, 1932, Serial No. 601,082

104 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is illustrated herein as embodied in a lasting machine.

In lasting the sides of Goodyear Welt shoes the upper is ordinarily stretched over the last and then wiped inwardly over the margin or feather or the insole and into engagement with a lip or rib of the insole to which it is permanently secured in lasted relation by fastenings, These fastenings, which in present-day practice are usually staples, are inserted through the marginal portion of the upper and the lip or rib of the insole and are clenched against an anvil which backs up the rib of the insole. The side lasting operation precedes the inseaming or welt attaching operation and the fastenings are intended to hold the upper against displacement from properly lasted position until the inseaming operation is completed.

While the staples are inserted with great accuracy and in such locations that the overlaid portions of the shoe upper are held flat upon the feather of the insole in a most satisfactory manner, it has been found that under certain conditions the lip or rib of the insole sometimes yields and becomes displaced because of an excessive pull on the rib transmitted by the staples. Any displacement of the rib of the insole is undesirable since it permits the upper to become slack on the last and, moreover, tends to prevent the forming of a tight inseam in the subsequent welt attaching operation.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved side lasting ma- 3 chine arranged to work a shoe upperinto lasted relation to a last and insole and to secure theshoe upper permanently in lasted relation to the insole by one set of fastenings and temporarily to the last by another set of fastenings which serve as additional holding means to prevent displacement of the rib and the shoe upper and which may be removed after the upper has set and before the subsequent inseaming operation is performed.

The illustrated machine is of the same general type as the machine disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,854,204, granted April 19, 1932, on an application of mine, although it will be recognized that in many novel and useful aspects the invention is not limited to machines of the particular type illustrated.

The illustrated machine, like the machine of the prior LettersPatent above mentioned, is arranged to last the sides of the shoe progressively by working the opposite marginal portion of the shoe upper along the sides inwardly transversely of the insole and fastening it in lasted relation to the insole. The machine is provided with a. jack arranged to support a last having a shoe upper and a ribbed insole positioned thereon and with a pair of lasting units located one upon each 69 side of the shoe to be operated upon. By relative movement of the unitsand the jack the lasting operation is performed progressively from the heel-breast line forwardly to the tip line at the toe end of the shoe.

The lasting units of the illustrated machine are provided with grippers for tensioning the shoe upper over the last and an important feature of the invention resides in a novel organization of overwiping means and fastening inserting 7 0 means affording provision for the fastening of the opposite marginal portions of the shoe upper by.

a plurality of separate fastenings of different kinds while the wiping means are maintained at the limit of their overwiping movement. In its embodiment of this feature of the invention the construction'herein shown comprises wipers carried by slides movable towardand from the work and provided with staple guiding nozzles through which staples are driven to secure the upper permanently in lasted relation to the insole, and separate slides movable toward and from the work in response to movement of the wiper carrying slides and providedwith nozzles through which tacks are driven to secure the upper temporarily in lasted relation to the last.

' Since the illustrated machine is intended to be used for lasting Goodyear welt shoes, it is arranged to insert the staples through the shoe upper and the rib of the insole and to clenchoo the staples on anvils which back up the rib of the insole and to insert the tacks through the upper, in the angle between the rib and the feather of the insole, into the insole and last close to the base of the rib. In order to determine with accuracythe location of the tacks with respect to the rib of the insole, one of said slides is provided also with a nose portion having a guideway formed therein for the tacks extending in the directionof tack insertion, said nose portion having a work-engaging face formed and arranged to bend the upper and the rib of the insole inwardly at an angle to the plane of the insole at the point of tack insertion to facilitate the insertion of the tacks close to the base of the rib. Conveniently also this nose portion is provided with a deflecting surface for engaging the tacks during the tack driving operation to deflect them in curved paths inwardly away from the edge of the last bottom to prevent chipping 1.10

of the edge. of the last bottom. Thus the op-.

posite overlaid portions of the uppe are secured permanently in lastedrelation the insole by staples and temporarily in lasted relation to the last by tacks which may be onlypartially inserted so that they can be conveniently removed after the upper has set and before the inseaming operation is performed.

In lasting thesides of shoes the uppers of which are scant it is customary with somemanufacturers to give certain portions of the upper at opposite sides of the shoe a preliminary pull by hand and then to secure these portions to the insole and last by temporary lasting tacks before the shoe is lasted by machine.-

In the illustrated machine the operating means for the grippers is arranged cyclically to impart a heightwise movement to the grippers, through yielding connections, to tension portions of the shoe upper about the last at opposite sides of the shoe and then to lower the grippers into position for gripping successive portions of the shoe upper after the tensioned portions of the upper .have been secured in lasted position by fastenings and before the shoe is fed. By the jack movement the shoe is fed step-by-step rearwardly between successive upper tensioning and fastening inserting operations, and, in order that the grippers, which are set low enough to grip a scant uppen'will not engage previously inserted tacks and interfere with the feeding movements of the shoe the grippers of the illustrated machine are, in accordance with a feature of the invention, held out of the way of such tacks during movement of the shoe to bring previously tensioned portions of theupper into position to be fastened. In the illustrated machine this is effected by the provision of means operating in timed relation to the feeding movements of the jack for rendering the-gripper operating mechanism inoperative to lower the grippers while previously tensioned portions of the'upper are being secured by the securing means. Also in the illustrated machine, provision is made for automatically rendering the grippers again operative to tension the upper after a predetermined number of operations of the securing means.

It is desirable also, particularly when operating on scant uppers,.that sufllcient heightwise move- -ment be imparted to the grippers to permit them to swing in their appointed paths without damage ing the rib of the insole. or interfering with the inward movement'of the wipers. Accordingly, another feature of the invention consists in novel means for operating and controlling the grippers arranged to maintain the limit of movement of the grippers away from the insole and shoe upper at a greater height than that of the top of the' rib of the insole regardless of the point relatively to the insole at which the grippers engage the shoe upper. In the illustrated machine the heightwise pull. of the grippers is varied upon diflerent parts of the shoe upper inorder properly to tension the shoe upper as the lasting opera- -tion is performed progressively along the sides 'of the shoe, and the novel gripper operating and controlling mechanism includes a pair of springs operating alternately to vary the stretching force applied to different portions of the upper by the grippers, means being provided, operative upon distortion of the springs, to cause a portion of the pull to be positively effected to increase the movement of the grippers away from :the insole if the extent of their impositive movement is insuillcient to carry them above the topof the rib of the insole.

The staple forming an inserting mechanism andtack driving mechanism of the illustrated" machine are not claimed herein since they form the subject-matter of a copending application Serial No. 673,334, filed May 29, 1933, in the name of Robert H. Lawson.

With the above and other objects and features in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and will be pointed out in the claims. In the-drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a side-lasting machine embodying the present invention, various portions of the box-like frame or base of the machine being broken away more clearly to disclose the moving parts of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine of Fig. 1 looking from the right;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken below the head of the machine and with the top portion of'the base largely broken away to show the mechanism therebelow; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the jack and of parts of the measuring mechanism for controlling the extent of each step of the work-feeding movement of the jack in accordance with the length of the shoe in the jack, the parts being shown in the relative positions which they occupy when the machine is at rest;

Fig. 5 is a 'sideelevation of the head, of the.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the head of the machine with the tack pot and feeding mechanism and I the wire reel supporting bracket removed;

10 is a view in cross-section through the I rear upper tensioning and fastening-inserting unit;

Figs. 11,12and 13 are detailed views of the means for feeding wire to the rear upper tensioning and fastening-inserting unit;

Fig. 1 1 is a side elevation of the rear upper tensioning and fastening-inserting unit showing in cross-section a portion of the wire-feeding mechanism, the cover plate being partly broken away to show more clearly portions of the staple forming and inserting mechanism;

Fig. 15 is a side view of the grippers and portions of the staple forming and inserting mechanism and the tack driving mechanism of the rear upper tensioning and fastening-inserting unit, the parts being shown in the positions which they occupy just prior to the up-draw movement of the grippers; I

Fig. 16 shows the same parts as Fig. 15 in the positions which they occupy at the conclusion of the dr got a staple and a tack;

Fig 17, 18 and 19 are detailed views of portions of the staple forming and driving mechanism;

Figs. 20 and 21 aredetailed views ofthe tackdriving mechanism;

ing inserting units.

sioning and fastening inserting units is a jack General organization The illustrated side lasting machine is provided with a box-like base or frame 50 best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 carrying a head 52 which supports at the front of the machine a pair of lasting units 54, 56, each provided with means for working a shoe upper into lasted relation to a last and insole comprising a pair of upper tensioning grippers arranged to grip the opposite marginal portions of the upper to tension the upper heightwise of the last and wipers arranged to wipe the tensioned upper at opposite sides of the shoe simultaneously inwardly over the bottom of the shoe and with staple forming and inserting mechanism and tack driving mechanism arranged to insert staples and tacks substantially simultaneously through the opposite marginal portions of the tensioned' shoe upper into the insole and the last to secure the upper permanently in lasted relation to the insole and temporarily in lasted relation to the last. These mechanisms are, for convenience, spoken of in this specification as upper-tensioning and fasten- Beneath these upper ten- 58 connected by a universal joint to a jack support mounted for movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the shoe and supported by a carrier mounted for movement in a direction extending longitudinally of the shoe to present different parts of the shoe to be operated on successively to the upper tensioning and fastening inserting units 54, 56. The upper tensioning and fastening inserting units 54, 56, are carried by two supports and are provided with presser feet 74, '76 arranged to bear against the inner surface of the rib of the insole at opposite sides of the shoe. The supports are pivotally mounted in the head 52 of the machine and are interconnected so that they move simultaneously toward and from each other. A spring tends to separate the supports and to cause the presser feet to remain in contact with the inner surface of the rib of the insole throughout the lasting and fastening inserting operation on the shoe, and since the supports are interconnected the presser feet serve also to determine the lateral position of the shoe in the machine. The supports are also mounted so that they can be rotated about axes extending approximately at right angles to the surface of the insole of the shoe operated upon and automatic mechanism is provided operating in timed relation with the longitudinal movements of the-shoe for rotating the supports to maintain the shoe upper engaging surfaces of the grippers substantially parallel to the portion of the shoe upper being operated upon and to cause the overlaying and securing means to operate in paths substantially normal to the rib of the insole, thus compensating for the edge curvatures of the shoe sole. The presser Ifeet and the supports upon which they are mounted are fixed against vertical movement and in order to maintain the presser feet in contact with the surface of the shoe sole at opposite sides of the shoe throughout the lasting and fastening-inserting operation means is provided operating in timed relation to the travel' of the shoe to impart tipping movements to the jack transversely of the direction of feed to maintain the sides of the shoe in proper position to be acted upon by the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units 54, 56. The jack 58 is'yieldin'gly urged upwardly to hold a shoe 68 mounted on a last '70 (Fig. 6) carried by the jack 58 in its uppermost position with its innersole 72 pressed against the presser feet or anvils 74, 76 carried by the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units 54, 56 and means is provided for locking the jack support against downward movement during each operation of the upper tensioningv and fastening-inserting units.

When the machine is at rest with the jack in position to permit the removal of a shoe and the placing of another shoe thereon the jack is out of normal operating position in the machine. After a shoe has been placed upon the jack, the operator imparts a slight dipping movement to the jack to unlock the connections through which the jack has been ac uated to feed the preceding shoe. The jack is then moved by the operator to bring the shoe to starting position and this movement of the jack adjusts the feeding mechanism in accordance with the size of the shoe to be operaed upon. Upon starting the machine the feeding mechanism is locked in adjusted position so that it can function properly to feed the shoe. 1

The longitudinal movements of the jackto feed the shoe, the tipping movements of the jack to compensa'e' for the longitudinal and transverse curvature of the surface of the sole and the retary or turning-movements imparted to the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units to compensate for the edge curvature of the shoe sole are produced and controlled by pattern cam mechanism driven in timed relation to the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units. This pattern cam mechanism is also connected to means for varying the tension of a spring which determines the stretching strain exerted by the lasting grippers on the shoe upper and to mechanism for varying the tension of a spring which tends to separate the supports for the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units and to hold ihe presser feet '74, '76 carried by the units 54, 56 in contact with the rib of theinsole at opposite sides of the shoe.

The illustrated machine is provided with a driving mechanism from Wh'ch the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units and the pattern cam mechanism are driven and is also provided with a stopping mechanism which at the completion of the lasting operat'on is automatically thrown into operation and which acts to disconnect the upper tensioning and fastenng-inserting mechanism and the pattern cam mechanism from the driving mechanism. After the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting mechanisms and the pattern cam mechanism are disconnected from the driv ng mechanism the jack is depressed and moved outwardly and a final movement is imparted to the pattern cam mechanism to cause the jack to be moved longitudinally in the direction opposite to the feed to its original position. This is accompl'shed by an auxiliary mechanism normally idle but which is automatically connected to the driving mechanism after mechanisms and the pattern cam are disconnected.

.cooperating gage at the As previously stated, movement of the shoe into operative position automatically adjusts the feeding mechanism in accordance with the size of the shoe to be operated upo 'In. order that the operation of the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units will be startediat a prede- 'termined point on the shoe without any special attention on the part ofthe' operator, the jack of the illustrated machine is provided with a gage which when start of theoperation on the shoe positions the shoe in the jack inpredetermined relation to the operating instrumentalities of is mounted for movement in the machine into and out of operating position. It is'moved into operating position during the downward and outward movement of the jack after the lasting operation has been completed and, is held in said, position by a locking latch which is released upon the starting of the machine to permit the cooperating gage to move into inoperative position. The jack 58 is also connected to mechanism for controlling the positions of the units 54, 56 widthwise of the shoe at the start of the operation on the shoe. This mechanism is'controlled by the length of the shoe in the jack through connections which are operative as the jack is moved into operative relation to the units 54, 56 but which are rendered inoperative before theoperation. upon the shoe is actually started..

The driving and stoppingmechanism of the illustrated machine, the mechanism which is thrown into-operation when the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units are thrown out of operation and-which depresses the jack and moves it outwardly, the pattern cam mechanism and connections therefrom to the jack for imparti cordance with the upon and tipping movements to the jack to compensate for the transverse curvature of the surface of the shoe sole and the connections from the pattern cam mechanism to the means for varying the tension of a spring which determines the stretching strain exerted by the lasting griprs on the upper and to the means for varying I the tension of the spring which tends to separate the supports for the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units and the mechanism forcontrolling the widthwise positions ofthe upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units in accordance with the length of the shoe in the jack are, except as hereinafter described, similar in construction to the corresponding mechanisms of the machine fully disclosed in the prior Letters Patent referred to above to which reference may be made for a complete disclosure of parts not fully illustrated .and described in the present application. a

The novel features of the shoe supporting jack, the means for supporting the jack, and the connections from the jack supporting means to the pattern cam mec for imparting feeding movements to the jack and longitudinal tipping movements to the shoe to compensate for the longitudinal curvature of the shoe sole are not claimed herein since they form the subject-matter of United States Letters Patent No. 1,923,154, granted August 22, 1933, upon an application filed in the name of Robert H. Lawson.

brought into contact with a the units 54, 56. This cooperating gage feeding movements to the Jack in acsize of the shoe to be operated The upper tenstonina and fastening-momma units The upper tensioning and fastening-insertin units 54, 56 are each carried by a support having a cylindrical portion 110, Figs. 16 and 14, provided at its lower end with a flange 112 and. at its upper end with a' collar 114 clamped to the cylindrical portion 110. Each cylindrical portion 110 is positioned in a sleeve 1160! a bearin block 118 supported for forwardly and rearwardly, swinging movement by a pair of trunnions 120, 122, carried by the head of the machine. The flange 112 and .the collar 114 serve .to prevent vertical movement of the upper tensioning and fastening-inserting units 54, 56, but permit the units to rotate about the approximately vertical axes of the cylindrical portion 110 and the sleeve In order that the units 54, 56 will have eq but opposite movements as they are swimg toward and from each other, each block 18 has pivotally connected thereto a link 124, Fig. 7. The links 124 are of equal lengths and are pivotally connected to the blocks 18' for swinging movements about axes which are parallel to the axes of the trunnions 120, 122. The opposite ends of the links 124 are connected to the opposite ends of a lever 126 pivotally connected to the head 52. of

the machine for swinging movement about a'.

horizontal axis extending transversely of the head 52 intermediate between the trurmions 120, 122 of the bearing blocks 18.

Secured to the lower end of each cylindrical portion 110 are a pair of parallel plates 128, 130 for supporting the staple forming and inserting mechanism and the tack-driving mechanism and between which a'pair of pincers or grippers 132 are carried.

Housed within each of the cylindrical portions 110 is a pair of slide members'or cross heads 134, 136, Figs. and 14, each having a semi-cy lindrical outline. These slide members 134, 136 are moved lengthwise of the cylindrical portions 110 by mechanism hereinafter described and are effective to operate the staple forming and insert-' ing mechanism, the tack-driving mechanism and the upper gripping pincers 132 respectively, re-e gardless of, and without interference by swinging movement of the upper tensioning and fasteninginserting units 54, 56 about their trunnions 120, 122, or turning movement of the units about the axes of their cylindrical portions 110. To permit this turning movement each of the slide members 134, 136 is provided with a groove 138 parallel to the circumference of the slide member and receiving a block 140 having a cylindrical outer surface so as to permit rotation of the slides 134, 136 about their axes while the blocks 140'remain stationary. The blocks 140 are links 142, 144 (Fig. 8) to'the means for operating the staple forming and inserting mechanism, the tack-driving mechanism and the upper gripping pincers 132, respectively. The slide 134 is con--v anism and the tack-driving mechanism by a link 146 and the slide 136 isconnected to the gripping pincers 132 by a link 148, Fig. 10. a

- Staple forming and inserting means connected by 135.

nected to the 'stapie forming and inserting mechguid'eways for movable slides or the carrier 150 is a lever 154 having an upwardly projecting portion 156 shaped and arranged to serve as an inside former for the staple. Each carrier or slide 150 is formed of two principal parts, an upper portion 158 and acover plate 160, the lower portion 162 of the forward end of which serves as a wiper to wipe the shoe upper 68 over the feather and into engagement with the rib of the insole 72. The upper portion 158 of the carrier 150 is shown indetail in Figs. 17, 18 and 19 and comprises a pair of parallel bars 164, 166 carrying at their forward ends a staple guiding nozzle or throat member 168 and between which are mounted for reciprocating movement an outside former slide 170, a driver slide 172, and an operating slide 174. The driver slide 172 and the operating slide 174 have formed upon their opposite side portions tongues which extend into lengthwise grooves formed in the parallel bars 164, 166. The operating slide 174 is provided with a rack 176 the teeth of'which mesh with the teeth of a gear segment 178 formed upon the downwardly-extending arm 180 of a bell-crank lever 182 fulcrumed at 184 to the side plates 128, 130. The lever 182 is provided with a laterallyextending ar-m 186 to the outer end of which is pivotally connected the lower end of the link 146. The driver slide 172 is provided with trunnions, one of which is shown at 188 (Figs. 15 and 16), to which are pivotally connected a pair of links 190, the opposite ends of which are pivotally connected to the downwardly-extending arm 192 of a driver lever 194 fulcrumed at 196 to the side plates 128, 130 and having an upwardly-extending arm carrying a latch 198 arranged to engage a latch 200 .carried by a lever 202 fulcrumed at 204 to the side plates 128, 130 to hold the driver lever 194 in its rearmost position (Fig. 15). A driver 206' T-shaped in cross section is clamped at 208 (Fig. 15) to the driver slide 172 and passes through similarly shaped driver passages formed in the outside former slide 170 and the nozzle or throat member 168.

The two wires 210 from which the staples are formed are fed to the units 54, 56 vby mechanism of the type disclosed in the prior Letters Patent No. 1,854,204 hereinbefore referred to through tubes 212 each having an adjustable end portion 214 threaded into the slide plate 128 (see particularly Fig. 10). Cooperating with the inside for.- mer 156 is an outside former comprising a pair ofthin forwardly-extending plates 216, 218 which are spaced apart and which extend when the outside former slide 170 is in its rearmost p0sition into the nozzle 168 to form with the inside former 156 a wire passage 220 in alignment with the outlet end 215 of the adjustable end portion 214 of the tubes 212 at the time thewire is fed. The plates 216,218 are carried by the slide 170 and as the slide 170 is moved forward the wire is first severed by the plate 216 one edge of which acts as a cutter and cooperates with the outlet end 215 of the adjustable end portion 214 to cut the wire before the forming of the staple begins. The feeding of the wires takes place soon after the parts have been returned to their rearmost positions (Figs. 15 and 17) The cover plate 160 is provided with a slot 222 to permit entrance of the inside former 156 into the driver passage formed in the outside former slide 170. The lever 154 is provided with a cam surface 224 which,

when the parts are in their rearmost positions, lies in the path of movement of a cam surface 226 formed upon the wiper cover 160 and with a lug 228 at its rearmost end the upper surface 230 of which normally bears against a finished surface 232 formed upon the wiper cover 160. The lug 228 is provided with a lower inclined surface 234 which lies in the path of movement of a cam surface 236 formed upon the cover plate 160.

Thus as the carrier 150 is moved toward and from the work, the lever 154 is swung positively first in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 15 and 16 to move the inside former 156 out of the driver passage formed in the outside former slide l70after a staple has been formed and then in a clockwisedirection to move the inside former 156 into the driver passage-of the slide 176 during the return movement of the carrier 150 and before the wire is fed into the wire passage 220. It will be understood that the slide 174 is operated in timed relation to the gripper mecha'- nism to move the outside former slide 170 forwardly relatively to the carrier 150 to cause the plates 216, 218 to form a staple. around the inside former 156 from a piece of wire presented thereto and then to impart forward and downward movement to the carrier 150 to cause the wiper' 162 to wipe the tensioned upper 68 inwardly over the feather and into engagement with the rib of the insole 72 before a staple is inserted into the work and to return these devices to their rearmost positions after the driving of the staple. As illustrated,'the operating slide 174 is provided at its forward end with a downwardly projecting portion 238 which extends between a pair of spaced upstanding lugs or projections 240, 242 formed on the outside former slide 170 and with a lug 244 depending from the median portion of the slide 174 and ex'tending between the outside former slide 170 and the driver slide 172.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 14 and 15 which illustrate the various parts of the staple forming and inserting mechanism in a position of rest, it will be seen that each driver lever 194 is provided with a pair of adjustable blocks 246 mounted at opposite sides of the lever upon a rod 248 which extends through an arcuate slot 250 formed in the lever 194 concentric with the pivot 196. The rods 248 are held in adjusted position by nuts 25'2 threaded upon the opposite end portions of the rods and arranged to clamp the blocks 246 and the rods 248 in any position relatively to the levers 194 to which they may be adjusted. Each driver lever 194 is urged in a clockwise direction, Fig. 14, by a pair of coiled driving springs 254 -mounted upon the hub portionsof a pair of levers 256 pivoted at 196 to the side plates 128, 130 and having downwardlyextending arms 258 connected to the, parallel bars 164, 166 of the carrier 150.by ball and socket connections. To limit the driving movements of the levers 194 under the influence of the springs 254 there are provided laterally-projecting stops or lugs 260 formed on the levers 256 and arranged to engage fiber disks 262 carriedby the adjustable blocks 246. The levers 194 are provided with laterally-extending ears 264 carrying adjusting screws 266 the ends of' which bear against the upper surfaces of the adjusting blocks246. The blocks 246 may be adjusted relatively to the lever 194 to determine the position of the staple drivers 206 at the end of their driving strokes" relatively to the nozzles 168 by movement of the screws 266. This adjustment is preferablymade when the parts are in the positions shown in-Fig; 16 anel 

